As readers of our April issue will know, chiefly as a result of the magazine’s cover story announcing the 991 Carrera GTS as a future 911 icon, there was a time when the Carrera GTS offered Porsche customers the perfect sports car. Built as a halfway house between the hardcore GT3 and the more touring-oriented Carrera S and Turbo models, the GTS made the most of the 911’s dynamic potential, while providing everyday usability. The 992-generation GTS coupes, however, have failed to convince, with overly stiff suspension making them almost unacceptably uncomfortable on anything other than a perfectly smooth surface. They’re wonderful on track, but as roadrunners, they’re less than ideal.
This leaves the 992 GTS Cabriolet (particularly this rear-drive, PDKequipped version) in something of an odd position. Old-school Porsche lore suggests an al fresco 911 ought to be compromised by its body style, which is hardly the first choice of circuit dwellers, but with driving dynamics much closer to the equivalent coupe than its predecessors could ever claim, is this mongrel a better proposition for the road than the tin-top with which it shares so much? It’s time to find out.
At first glance — quite literally — it’s a bitand the inclusion of the more aggressive Sport Design bumpers, complete with the standard sports exhaust.
